They Rose in Absolute Silence
Historical Account★★★★S. Parkes Cadman writes of the occasion when a Scottish university conferred an honorary degree upon David Livingstone.
“There is a custom in the Scottish universities that the recipient of an honory degree is fair sport for the students and must run the gantlet of their raucous remarks. The students sit in the balcony, calling out what they please. Is the candidate for honors a soapmaker who is become a doctor of law? No gift to the university will silence the greeting, ‘Hi, Old Soapmaker.’
Many wondered what the students would do when David Livingstone rose to receive his degree.” Dr. Cadman described him: “He stood, one arm hanging at his side; his shoulder had been torn by a lion in the forests of Africa. His skin was like leather.”
What did the students do? “They rose and stood in absolute silence.”
The point
David Livingstone, the famed missionary and explorer, receives an honorary degree from a Scottish university where students traditionally mock the recipient. Yet, when he stands before them, bearing the scars of his sacrifice, the students rise in absolute silence, showing profound respect.